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Tony Christensen

Biography / Academic Background

I received my PhD in sociology from McMaster University in 2010.

In 2009 I joined Wilfrid Laurier University as an assistant professor in the Contemporary Studies program (now known as Society, Culture and Environment). In 2011, I joined the Department of Criminology. Prior to coming to Laurier, I taught as a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at McMaster University.

Research Interests / Ongoing Projects

My primary academic interests are in social constructionist and symbolic interactionist theory. I'm particularly interested in how claims-makers convince the public to view certain acts as criminal or problematic. My work also examines how academics themselves construct normality and criminality.

I tend to focus on the types of research questions that lend themselves to qualitative inquiry.

Student Opportunities / Supervising

I am willing to supervise graduate students who are interested in using qualitative approaches or who wish to apply a social constructionist/symbolic interactionist approach to their research.